


Lost Time is Never Found Again

by imbetteronpaperattwointhemorning



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Angst, F/M, Family, Friendship, Injury, Male Sole Survivor - Freeform, Military, PTSD, Platonic Relationships, Pre-War, SOLDIER - Freeform, War, World War 2, billy - Freeform, boy in the fridge, dead spouse, dream - Freeform, injured, nick valentine - Freeform, nora - Freeform, romantic relationships, sick
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-23
Updated: 2016-01-23
Packaged: 2018-05-15 16:55:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5792485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imbetteronpaperattwointhemorning/pseuds/imbetteronpaperattwointhemorning
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lost time is never found again. --Benjamin Franklin</p><p>Time has robbed James of so much and none of it he has forgotten.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lost Time is Never Found Again

Nora hummed as she hung up a white sheet. Her red nail polished hands secured the pins on one corner with deliberate flourish. She stopped and started the same melodic non-tune as she pinned each corner of the sheet. The sheet now obscured her from James’ view. James could see the outline of her soft curves backlight by the sun. He could smell Nora's perfume mingling with the scent of laundry: lavender, honey, and lilies. He approached her.

 _Just few steps closer_ , he thought.

“Are you ok?” She peered from behind a white sheet.

“You’re perfect.”

“I really am.” Nora let out a playful giggle.

James pulled the sheet down and wrapped it around her form. He lifted her from the ground as if she were a small child planting a kiss on her cherry red lips.

“You are incorrigible.” She laughed.

“I love you, Nora.”

She reached up covering both his cheeks with her hands.

“I love you, too.” Nora’s eyes pooled with tears. “Can you do something for me and Shaun?”

“Anything.” James kissed her forehead.

“Stay home.”

“I can’t promise that. I have a duty Nora you know.“ He lowered Nora to the floor.

“I know you promised the army another tour.” She withdrew from him.

“I have a responsibility to this country.” He pulled her back toward him.

“You have a responsibility to _me_.” She backed away farther. The sheet seemed to overtake her lithe form.

The two fell silent. James opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by the shrill howl of a siren.

“Another drill?” Nora questioned. James heard Shaun cry in the distance. Nora passed him as she walked back toward the house. 

“Mr. James, I think you and the Missus should come see this.” Codsworth called from the house. 

. . . 

James awoke with a start. He coughed. He felt the sting of his throat and the taste of blood. He instinctively reached to touch his face.

He opened his eyes to look at his damp hands. _It is blood,_ the thought. The real world flooded back to James now.

The bombs. The vault. The screaming. The death of Nora. The kidnapping of Shaun. The chaos of the Commonwealth. The raiders.

“Alright there. Alright there.” Nick patted his shoulder with his good hand. “We’ll get you patched up but you have to stay still.”

Nick took a damp cloth to James’ face. James took the cloth from Nick and began wiping his face. Thankfully, the blood was not his own.

“Is he ok? The boy, Billy, is he alright?” James remembered the small ghoul child, his lipless mouth and expectant black eyes.

“Kid’s fine. Mom and dad are fine too. You just got banged up a big is all.” Nick handed James a bottle of purified water. James set the cloth down on the end table to the left of his cot. 

James took the brown can. The cardboard felt rough. He took a gulp. Water had not changed after the war. The cool liquid soothed his haggard throat.

“Afraid they had some gas with them.” Nick started.

“Carbonyl chloride.” James began coughing again.

“World War Two relic.” Nick hesitated. James could almost hear his mind processing the contents of the room. Nick's mechanical mind humming a low tone.

“Bad stuff.” James took another two gulps of water.

“You weren’t too close.”

“No, I recognized the smell of the stuff and cleared out.” James took a long gasp.

“Well, it was enough to get you coughing. Lucky for us, Billy’s mom was a nurse before the war.” Nick motioned to the rough skinned woman by the door. Her tattered yellow dress provided the only color in the room.

“Thank you.” James nodded.

“Anytime. I was just so happy to get Billy back. It was the least I could do.” Her lipless mouth framed a wide grin.

She placed a bowl of insta mash and a few more purified waters on the table next to James’ and left. He studied the contents of the ramshackle bedroom. A hole in the roof of the room had left them exposed to the soft fall breeze and in the distance the sound of Billy laughing could be heard. It was the early evening, James and Nick had set off toward the house in the morning.

“I’ve lost so much time.” James lamented.

“Nora’s your wife?” Nick was always the detective.

“Yes.” James closed his eyes. He thought he could smell Nora’s perfume for a moment.

“You said her name a few times in your sleep. If you need to talk about it, I’m here.”

“I miss her Nick.” James smoothed his hands over his face.

“I’m sorry, my friend. I really am.”

James opened his eyes to see his new world anew. He studied Nick’s face. He saw the gears shift beneath his jaws. He studied his yellow glowing eyes. For a moment, James thought he saw them dim.

“I am too.” James laid back on the cot.

**Author's Note:**

> Drabble for my sister re: her sole survivor, James. Oh the feels! 
> 
> Follow me on tumblr: http://frangirljane.tumblr.com/
> 
> Thank you for reading! ^_^


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